Repositionable notes, flags and markers have become a readily recognizable part of the office and home. Repositionable notes and flags, such as those manufactured by 3M under the tradename of POST-IT® Notes and POST-IT® Flags are used to mark documents for reproduction, for ready reference, to communicate comments or concerns to another reader, your favorite recipe, a well-loved passage in a book and so on. These products are convenient, easy to use and easy to reposition from one portion of a document to another.
Coated or “glossy” paper, as it is sometimes called, is used in the printing of covers, magazines, sales pieces, direct mail, reply cards, and brochures. The most distinguishing feature of coated paper is that printing inks will sit on top of the coating (ink tends to soak into a sheet of uncoated stock). The result is a clean, sharp image. For this reason, coated papers are used when precise color matches, extremely clear detail, or the faithful reproduction of photography (both color and black-and-white) is desired. Although coated stock is generally more expensive than uncoated, it is the paper of choice for fine quality printing.
There are two basic categories of paper finishes commonly used today: uncoated and coated. All paper starts out uncoated, and it is commonly used in this form. The non-glare surface of uncoated paper makes it suitable for all types of reading material, and so it is used extensively in paperbacks, newsletters and newer textbooks. Generally, the term “coated paper” refers to paper and paperboard, of which the surface has been treated with clay or some other pigment and adhesive mixture, or other suitable material, to improve the finish with respect to printing quality, color, smoothness, opacity or other surface properties. The term is also applied to lacquered and varnished papers.
However, with coated papers, the repositionable adhesive that allows a repositionable note or flag to be used, lifted and reused, has a tendency to build adhesion and form a more permanent bond between the note or flag and the paper upon which you are attaching the note or flag. Hence when marking magazines or catalogues or even older textbooks (use of coated papers) with notes or flags, there is the possibility that the repositionable note or flag may become more permanently attached. Such behavior is generally referred to as “adhesion build” and is not generally observed with uncoated papers.
Thus, there is a need to produce a repositionable adhesive coated article that retains the repositionability characteristic of the adhesive when used on coated papers.